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What was the most difficult ethical decision you've ever made?

I probably should say the "most difficult ethical decision" that you are comfortable to share because certain decisions concerning ethics we are unwilling to even talk about. If you unwilling to share your own experience, you might tell a story about someone else (as long as it is true).

When I was 25 years old, I was working in an administrative position for a CPA firm. I filled out my timesheet, but nobody told me that, for my position, 100% of my hours should be billable to clients. In fact, due to my work developing better procedures, almost half my time was not billable. After about 6 weeks, my boss handed me back the timesheets and told me to increase the number of billable hours to as close to 100% as I could.

I spent a weekend in ethical agony and crunching numbers. I found a solution. On Monday, I handed in two new complete sets of timesheets. On one, I had increased the billable hours moderately, and I believed it to be fair. On the other, I moved them way up, close to 80%, and I felt it was unethical to charge clients for all that time. I gave my boss a choice: He could either use the first set, and I would keep working there, or he could use the second set, and I would resign. It was scary!

He chose the first set, and I worked at the company until it split up and moved to a new location.

Whether it is close to 80% or just a "moderate increase", aren't they both unethical or one just a "little" unethical? I would have fired you on the spot. My thought would be that you'd moderately steal from me too. You are ethical or you're not.

IDONO, I understand your question. I had genuinely misunderstood the guidelines for timesheets. The one I offered & agreed to stay was, deep in my heart, honest correction. Kallini - yes, I won't work for a boss or company in violation of my ethi

SidKemp, OK!!!!!! I didn't want to have to unfollow you, man. It's all good. But I hope you are close to retirement, because finding an ethical boss at an ethical company is, what do they say? A needle in a haystack?

Making a living will.Whether or not I wanted exceptional means taken if I were to be paralyzed from surgery.Actually the actual surgery was difficult. It could have left me completely paralyzed.I had to consider my family and their thoughts,With out this surgery I would have died. But even now I'm not the same.But I'm still here.Ethically I had to think of everyone including my doctor who was afraid for myself and for him too.

This sounds very difficult indeed. I did not have such an experience, but I'll keep it in mind if I come across reading about similar decisions. If it is any consolation, there is a theory that there are no wrong decisions.

Thank you for sharing. I have similar decisions to make very soon. I feel encouragement from this comment. I ponder your last statement. The bottom line is the decision is the individual's no matter the advice and etc.

Deciding to comment to this question is a difficult ethical decision. Yet, offered was "are comfortable to share" with conditions. Ethics are an element of philosophy, which says ethics is a determinate factor for right and wrong conduct as a concept. Application is what I interpret this question is seeking.

There are four divisions within that parcel of land known as ethics. Wiki says and quoted for expediency, an ethical decision just now, "the general meaning of ethics: rational, optimal (regarded as the best solution of the given options) and appropriate decision brought on the basis of common sense."

Those divisions of ethics (offering understanding for this answer, of which was an ethical decision being binary too), are:

"Meta-ethics, about the theoretical meaning and reference of moral propositions and how their truth values (if any) may be determined"

"Normative ethics, about the practical means of determining a moral course of action"

"Applied ethics, about how moral outcomes can be achieved in specific situations"

"Descriptive ethics, also known as comparative ethics, is the study of people's beliefs about morality"

In essence a choice is offered with this question as all at the answer section of HubPages.com. - simply enter. How to choose of the what is a binary decision between yes and no. Each leads to a tree or a map. One may speculate with rational thought - no, as the choice leads to ethical and most optimal. Yes leads to another choice, also binary, with a presumption the question is as read and the given as a known(s) is offered and read.

Next, the choice of reading others replies or not. Again is binary. And, is an ethical question with regard to conduct since reading another may influence the original of a participant of the question. I kinda' with a moment of thought say optimal regarding ethical as a choice being binary is "not to read" others before replying. However, I skimmed through what was here, unethical?

With consideration as to purity regarding "common" odds say most do that action. Therefore, is ethical as appropriate. However, ponder the divisions of ethics as is studied within philosophy as a basis for moral with laws and such, ethics regarding situational, and of course those of HubPages.com. Consider practices as common vs. outlined by Learning Center or a specific of "conduct."

Again, binary of right or wrong. I tender this answer is ethical. It was difficult. It met the criteria of the question.

The question was about the real experience. We all have the sense of right or wrong and there are plenty of decisions that we have make that involve our understanding of ethics. Explanation of what ethics is was not the question.

You asked a question. I answered directly quoting the first line I shared is, "Deciding to comment to this question is a difficult ethical decision." If you did not like the reason as explained. Then say so. Or have you? I ask forgiveness . . .

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